Ministry for National Development allots $135 million to upgrade 32 private estates

SINGAPORE: Minister for National Development Desmond Lee announced recently that $135 million has been allocated to upgrade 32 private estates, including seven Silver Estates. This is mainly for the benefit of the senior citizens living in these areas.

Mr Lee said on Feb 8 that the Ministry of National Development (MND) will be launching the first phase of the new Estate Upgrading Programme with $11 million set aside to upgrade seven selected Silver Estates. The ministry has also set aside $124 million to upgrade 25 private estates across Singapore under the next round of the programme, which has been expanded to include senior-friendly enhancements.

The Estate Upgrading Programme,  launched in 2000, aims to improve the infrastructure and recreational facilities in older private estates so they can better cater to residents’ needs. These estates have no access to town council or Housing Board grants. Notably, the upgrading works do not need to be paid for by residents. So far, about $216 million has been allocated to upgrading these estates, benefiting more than 54,000 households.

“Having senior-friendly and accessible infrastructure within their estates is crucial for enabling our seniors to live more comfortably and age-in-place,” the MND said.

The new programme is being introduced by the ministry for Silver Estates, where there is a higher number of seniors and which benefitted from the Estate Upgrading Programme years ago. These have been selected for senior-friendly enhancements to better support ageing residents.

The seven Silver Estates earmarked for upgrading are Fengshan, Hillview, Hong Leong Gardens and Pasir Panjang, MacPherson Gardens, Mayfair Park, Teachers’ Housing,  and Thomson & Yew Lian Park. These Silver Estates have over 3,700 households.

The upgrading works will make it safer and easier for senior residents to stay active and engaged in their daily activities, according to the ministry.

Mr Lee said, “Under Age Well SG, we want to support ageing-in-place, where our seniors go about their daily activities safely and comfortably in their homes and neighbourhoods, including those living in private residential estates,” said the Minister for National Development, adding, “We will work closely with the project teams and the community to ensure that the enhancements are practical and meaningful.”

Meanwhile, the upgrading of the 25 regular estates will take place over the next five years and will benefit more than 16,600 households. The list of these estates may be found here.

The featured photo above is from Hillview1 (Wikipedia screengrab). /TISG

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